Top 20 Artists/Bands Of The Decade prt. 5

The White Stripes
Discovered: Yet another introduction from a friend, who turned me on to so much new music that at one point I had a whole shelf on my bookcase filled with all the CDRs I'd burnt of everything she lent me.

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums, 20 singles, 1 EP, 1 live album
Fav album - Elephant (2003)
Fav song - 'Black Math' from Elephant







Antony & The Johnsons
Discovered: I first heard Antony sing 'Perfect Day' on the Lou Reed album The Raven. I forget whether I decided to start looking him up after that or when I saw the tour for that record and Antony sang a show stopping version of 'Candy Says'. Either way, what drew me to his music, just like Patty Griffin, is his haunting, transcendent voice. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I find it luminous.

Recorded output this decade - 3 albums, 6 EPs, 2 singles, 1 live album (with Current 93)
Fav album - The Crying Light (2009)
Fav song - 'Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground' from The Crying Light






Pig Destroyer
Discovered: A friend at a record label I worked at was playing one of their albums. Within the first 10-15 seconds I pretty much became an instant fan. Guttural vocals? Check. Fast? Check. 10 to 15 guitar riffs per song AND each tune is less than 2 minutes in length? Check and check. OK I'm in!

Recorded output this decade - 3 albums, 2 splits, 1 EP, numerous comps
Fav album - Terrifyer (2004)
Fav song - 'Naked Trees' from Prowler in the Yard (2001)

Top 20 Artists/Bands Of The Decade prt. 4

Lightning Bolt
Discovered: They opened for The Locust at Gilman back in 2003 or 2004. Textbook case of the warm up act wiping the floor with the headliner. The Locust hit the stage and were pretty much an afterthought to the noise and sheer lose-your-shit mayhem brought on by The Bolt. The records are awesome but these mofos HAVE to be seen live. Period.

Recorded output this decade - 4 Albums, numerous comps and splits.
Fav album - Wonderful Rainbow (2003)
Fav song - 'Assassins' from Wonderful Rainbow

Top 20 Artists/Bands Of The Decade prt. 3

A Place to Bury Strangers
Discovered: Only found out about them this year, through the Aquarius Records website, naturally. They've only released 2 full length albums–both in the latter half of the decade–so why include them on this list? Well, both albums rule the school for one, and I also feel they're just getting started. I'm expecting APTBS to really hit their stride in the next decade.

Recorded output this decade - 2 Albums, 7 EPs, 2 singles
Fav album - Exploding Head (2009)
Fav song - 'Ego Death' from Exploding Head






Camera Obscura
Discovered: Probably the good old Aquarius Records website. If consistency is everything, then these Scots have done rather well for themselves this decade, serving up album after album of their own brand of sugary pop bliss.

Recorded output this decade - 4 Albums, 13 Singles
Fav album - My Maudlin Career (2009)
Fav song - 'Eighties Fan' from Biggest Bluest HiFi (2001)






Thou
Discovered: Either late last year or early this year on omgvinyl.com. Like A Place to Bury Strangers, these youngsters haven't been around very long, but they've already put out a ton of material. And like APTBS pretty much everything I've heard so far is amazing.

Recorded output this decade - 1 Demo, 3 albums, 1 box set, tons of splits, EPs and comps
Fav album - It's ALL FUCKING GOOD
Fav song - 'Smoke Pigs' from the Thrive & Decay split 7" (2008)

Top 20 Artists/Bands Of The Decade prt. 2

Mono
Discovered: I believe it was through the Sigur Rós web board. People there were talking about this epic Japanese band called Mono, so when they came to town I just went, having never heard any of their music beforehand. After that I became a lifelong fan.

Recorded output this decade - 5 albums, 3 EPs, 2 splits, 1 live, Compilation, Remix album each
Fav album - Hymn to the Immortal Wind (2009)
Fav song - 'Everlasting Light' from Hymn to the Immortal Wind






Patty Griffin
Discovered: Through a friend, exchanging music we liked. I got a pile of CDs that introduced me to the likes of Hem, Iris Dement, Gillian Welch–all wonderful discoveries. But Patty Griffin shone from the rest like a bright silvery beacon in the dark with that voice.

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums, 2 live albums
Fav album - A Kiss in Time (2003)
Fav song - 'Mary' from A Kiss in Time





Dälek
Discovered: Another introduction from a friend, who gave me a burn of their first album and an EP. I'd pretty much given up on rap, but these guys have eschewed the tired ass conventions of mainsteam hip hop music and have brought something new and different to the table. They've given the genre the swift kick in the ass it's sorely needed. Dälek will never find mainstream acceptance, but who gives a fuck? They sure don't.

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums, numerous EPs, comps, collabs
Fav album - Abandoned Language (2007)
Fav song - 'Paragraphs Relentless' from Abandoned Language

Top 20 Artists/Bands Of The Decade prt. 1

OM
Discovered: Through the Aquarius Records website. They have very informative reviews of new CDs every 2 weeks, complete with sound samples. When they reviewed the first OM record by stating that the band is made up of the rhythm section from Sleep, fuuuuckk, I was sold!

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums, 3 singles, 2 live albums
Fav album - Conference of the Birds (2006)
Fav song - 'Flight of the Eagle' from Conference of the Birds

Youtube clip of the band throwing down at Amoeba, SF below...




Múm
Discovered: Their song 'We Have a Map of the Piano' was in a CD sampler that came with an issue of UK music mag The Wire. I'd never heard electronic music sound so organic–cold, yet so cozy at the same time.

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums, 2 EPs, 4 singles, numerous comps
Fav album - Loksins erum við engin (2002)
Fav song - 'Grasi vaxin göng' from Loksins erum við engin






Jolie Holland
Discovered: I think it was through Rolling Stone magazine. There was a buzz about her around the time her second album, Escondida, came out that Tom Waits was a fan and signed her to his label. I figured if TW likes her sound, I should hop to it and check her out.

Recorded output this decade - 4 albums
Fav album - Springtime Can Kill You (2006)
Fav song - 'Mexico City' from The Living and the Dead (2008)

Kevin Tong: Illustrator God

Not a big Star Wars fan, but dude just put out an amazing R2D2 poster. The video below detailing how the print was created is mind-blowing (for any computer design nerd, anyway!). The print goes on sale tomorrow, 11/26 at a random time here. Geek on...

Album of the Week

Amiina, Puzzle

"What Are We Waiting For?"

Awesome footage of the band in the early days playing one of their signature songs...

I was at ye olde Pig n Whistle on Hollywood Blvd. to witness history...

Album of the Week (Halloween Edition)

Solo Andata, Ritual
Séance music, anyone? Probably not the best thing to listen to after seeing Paranormal Activity 2, which wasn't as good as the first but still plenty creepy. Of course I'm such a wuss that I can only listen to this record at work in broad daylight. Lame.

Below, the indelible Patrick Watson & his mercurial band performing live and in the NPR studio, and the trailer to the excellent but sadly very little seen (and NOT on DVD in the US!) French Canadian movie he wrote the music for, "It's Not Me, I Swear!" I suggest checking them both out immédiatement.

Good Omens

In the midst of contacting department chairs and meeting with counselors as I start a new chapter in my life, I recently got this fortune at the Chinese restaurant I like to frequent in SF...

Happy Family

'lil Melina Colette, born August 16, 2010.

Puffer fish at the Union Station aquarium that swam right up against the glass to me and sat at the bottom of the tank to contemplate me as I snapped these pics. Kinda freaked me out after a while since it barely moved, its eyes kept focused on me as if to say "let's see how you like being stared at!"

Now reading...

Album Of The Week

OM, God is Good

'Meditation is the Practice of Death'

Classic Children's Book Illustrators II

Camille Saint-Saëns, The Aquarium


More from Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Previous post here.

Explosions In The Sky, Your Hand in Mine (With Strings)

Albums of the Week